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Formula 1
F1: Nightmare Weekend For Massa In Australia
Ferrari driver struggled with tires at Albert Park Circuit...
Felipe Massa of Brazil and Ferrari drives during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit on March 18, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Felipe Massa’s 2012 season got off to the worst possible start in Australia when he crashed out of the race after qualifying only 16th.
The Brazilian jumped up to 10th at the start but almost immediately began suffering with tire issues, to the extent that he had to make three pit stops – although the last was at least under the safety car.
Massa was in dire need of a good start to the season given his poor recent form and the obvious question marks hanging over his future.
“The start was great, I passed many cars,” said Massa. “I don’t know to be honest how many, but I passed many cars. It was very positive for the race, but then after five laps I was suffering completely on the rear tires, just sliding around every corner, and none of the other tires were using tires, just me.
“I was struggling completely with the balance of the car, not just talking about the race but every day, the whole weekend. We need to understand why. It was compared with everybody, everybody was doing many laps with the soft, with the medium, I couldn’t do many laps. I was driving even very smoothly, not to use [the tires], because I knew it was not very easy to do two stops. And it was not possible.”
Massa’s race came to an end when he collided with Bruno Senna. The stewards subsequently agreed that it was a racing incident.
“One car from Toro Rosso tried to brake on the left side at corner three, and I did the corner in front. Bruno had a chance to have a good turn-in because I was fighting with the other car, and then he was able to have a good line to put the car on my side, but on the outside. And then we both did the corner to the left, he was to the outside and I was completely to the inside.
“I turned, he went a little bit early and he turned a little bit too much, we touched each other. For me it was something that can happen in a race. From my side there was nothing wrong because I was on the inside. At the end of the race, trying to fight for the position, you cannot say it was completely wrong.”
Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.
The Brazilian jumped up to 10th at the start but almost immediately began suffering with tire issues, to the extent that he had to make three pit stops – although the last was at least under the safety car.
Massa was in dire need of a good start to the season given his poor recent form and the obvious question marks hanging over his future.
“The start was great, I passed many cars,” said Massa. “I don’t know to be honest how many, but I passed many cars. It was very positive for the race, but then after five laps I was suffering completely on the rear tires, just sliding around every corner, and none of the other tires were using tires, just me.
“I was struggling completely with the balance of the car, not just talking about the race but every day, the whole weekend. We need to understand why. It was compared with everybody, everybody was doing many laps with the soft, with the medium, I couldn’t do many laps. I was driving even very smoothly, not to use [the tires], because I knew it was not very easy to do two stops. And it was not possible.”
Massa’s race came to an end when he collided with Bruno Senna. The stewards subsequently agreed that it was a racing incident.
“One car from Toro Rosso tried to brake on the left side at corner three, and I did the corner in front. Bruno had a chance to have a good turn-in because I was fighting with the other car, and then he was able to have a good line to put the car on my side, but on the outside. And then we both did the corner to the left, he was to the outside and I was completely to the inside.
“I turned, he went a little bit early and he turned a little bit too much, we touched each other. For me it was something that can happen in a race. From my side there was nothing wrong because I was on the inside. At the end of the race, trying to fight for the position, you cannot say it was completely wrong.”
Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.
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